And It's My Whole Heart (And It's an Old Scar)
by jaylene
Summary: When her old coven falls to chaos, Sakura cannot keep herself away. Not from them.


And It's My Whole Heart (And It's an Old Scar)

* * *

Sakura resists the urge to grind her teeth when the seals on her tongue and roof of her mouth start to burn. The taste of filet mignon in her mouth turns to ash, coating her tongue.

Sakura's face twists with distaste and she raises her napkin to her mouth, spitting.

"What is it?" Karin asks, catching Sakura's free hand.

"Danzō's gone," Sakura replies, after casting a notice-me-not spell. There are too many prying ears in an establishment like this. "I'm not sure if he's dead or been removed from the seat of power."

Karin keeps her features schooled even as she says, "Damn, the old bastard's finally kicked it, huh? He wouldn't have stepped down; only death could pry the coven from his fingers."

Sakura snorts, appreciating the levity that Karin brings to every situation.

"Well, I'm being summoned," Sakura says.

Karin's eyes widen. "Even though you cut ties?"

"Only with the Head of the coven," Sakura says. "He's no longer in that position ergo…" She sighs. "I must go." Sakura stares longingly at her steak dinner.

"Go," Karin says, squeezing her hand before releasing it. "I'll drop dinner by your house. Might even cast a stasis seal if I'm in a good mood."

Sakura gives Karin a quick peck on the lips before hurrying out to the transportation square. She turns in a circle, tapping her nose and holding her breath as she disappears.

She reappears upon the large Shimura estate. It is actually a pleasant property, more a result of the put in by Torune and Fu rather than Danzō himself. Several peacocks squawk at her, flaring their tails but Sakura pays them no mind.

No, she is more focused on the familiar but intruding magical presences on the grounds.

 _Uchiha_.

With a crackle of power, she reappears by the obnoxious energies, eyes taking in the scene.

The area is infested with Uchiha, a peripheral bane in her life. Arrogant, sanctimonious, superior bastard who enjoy poking their noses into everyone else's business. For whatever reason, they seem to believe that other clans need to be policed by them.

Sakura sees the head of their coven and makes her way to him. "What the hell is going on?" she demands.

Madara's red eyes flick over her, assessing and dismissing her in a matter of moments. "Nothing you need to worry about, sweetheart."

Sakura glares at him. "Don't patronize me, asshole. You are trespassing on private grounds and interfering in another coven's politics. You do not belong here."

" _You_ are the one who doesn't belong here," Madara replies.

Sakura rolls her eyes, pulling out her badge. "I'm the only one here with jurisdiction, asshole." She takes mean satisfaction in the way he pales. "So, I'll reiterate, you and yours do _not_ belong here."

"We weren't the ones to overstep our bounds here," Madara says, tone more respectful. Still he scowls at her. She knows that with his special pinwheel eyes that she's supposed to be intimidate but she refuses to be cowed. "Danzō has been interefering with my coven, extracting techniques from my clansmen. He has been dealt with accordingly."

Sakura goes strangely cold before flashing hot. There is no love lost between her and Danzō, she turned her back on his teachings and brutality and he, in turn, excommunicated her from the coven. Still, he was family, _coven_ , and Madara is the interloper.

"Where?" she asks, voice calm and even.

He glances at her, but her expression is implacable.

Danzō's teachings were good for something after all.

Madara turns and leads her inside, into the building Danzō utilized for alchemy. There are even more Uchiha here, poking fingers into Danzō's experiments and pocketing the more promising ones.

Sakura bites the inside of her cheek until she tastes iron, something ugly and possessive beating in her breast at the blatant disrespect.

One of the Uchiha, young and curly-haired, rushes forward, large jars tucked under each arm. Sakura peers at the jars, biting down harder on her cheek.

They are filled with Sharingan eyes.

Sakura curses the mess left to the coven by Danzō's ambition.

"There are more," the man says, bowing his head slightly in deference to Madara. "Rooms full of `em. Seems the Shimura coven has been cloning `em."

"Have they?" Madara nearly snarls, stalking to a crumpled body.

Sakura's stomach swoops as she takes in Danzō. He is different in death, smaller, fragile. This is the man who ruled the coven with an iron fist? A man kneels beside the body, calmly working a knife into Danzō's arm, which is embedded with dozen of pinwheel eyes.

Sakura closes her eyes for a moment, damning Danzō's ambition.

"Where is the coven?" Sakura asks, eyes snapping open. "You may have a right to Danzō, but you have no right to them."

"Who are you?" the man asks.

"Sakura Haruno," she replies, feeling little satisfaction as he averts his gaze. "Now, where are they?"

"Shisui," Madara says.

The man, Shisui, leads her into another room, one Sakura recognizes as the Silent Room. The coven, people she's known since her magic was discovered in childhood, is lined up neatly against the wall, ensconced by Uchiha. The Uchiha are not acting aggressively, but the threat is implicit.

"Release them," Sakura commands Madara, who has come up alongside her.

"No."

"Why not? The faults of Danzō are not theirs to bear."

"They will be brought into our coven," Madara says.

Sakura rears back as if struck. She knows the Uchiha, knows of their ways. Sakura will not see her coven brought low in servitude to another. "They will not," she says repressively, voice rising.

Some of the coven look her way: Sai, Torune, Yamato. Sai shifts and one of the Uchiha steps forward, raising a hand toward him.

"They have no leader, no head to govern their coven. Danzō was a cruel master; none of the coven is whole. Certainly they cannot lead. We will take them under our protection," Madara explains.

His words are righteous, but his eyes glitter with greed. As fury pulses in Sakura's veins, Sai steps toward her, only to be cuffed in the face.

It is the last straw.

Sakura opens herself to the Shimura lands, eyes flashing gold as she says, "I am the rightful heir to this coven! You are the interloper here; unwelcome. I am the head to the Shimura coven; these people, these lands are mine. I am Sakura Haruno and Sakura Shimura. Now get the hell off my land."

The lands shift beneath them, eager to complete her command. The wards, made inactive with Danzō's death, spring to life and the Uchiha are removed forcefully from the property, leaving behind all objects that belong to the Shimura.

Power shoots up and down Sakura's spine, revitalizing her. She moves toward her coven, offering Sai a hand. He takes it, pulling himself to his feet. Sakura touches his face and her power skitters over him, healing his blooming bruise.

"Sakura," he says, leaning into her hand.

"Are you back to stay?" Torune asks.

Sakura looks among them all, something sharp and jagged in her chest easing. She's missed them so much.

Rare feeling flickers in their eyes: hope.

Sakura scrubs at her suspiciously moist eyes. "I'm home."


End file.
